Customer Reviews

Wish You Were Here (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is the first in the Sneakie Pie series by this author, and I think I liked this better than a later book in the series I read, but perhaps they are best read in order. This is definitely a book for animal lovers (cats and dogs who communicate with each other are a significant part of the book). I suspect also that women will probably like this book more than men -- it's basically a cozy mystery set in a small Virginia town with a woman as the lead character.

Harry (a woman) is the overeducated (she went to Smith but is not particularly ambitious) postmaster of a small Virginia town. She walks to work from her country house, accompanied by her cat and dog, who spend the day with her at the tiny post office where residents come in to get their mail each day. No wonder she has such energy to garden, clean, and what not when she gets home -- her work takes up little energy so she spends much of the day socializing and reading post cards. She notices a strange postcard with a grave marker that says "wish you were here" -- and no signature. The recipient turns up dead shortly thereafter. She figures out the post card was sent by the killer and from there gets involved in solving the mystery (with the unbelievable cooperation of the sheriff). The plotting is pretty good, although I pegged the killer early on based on my knowledge of who the killer tends to be in mysteries. It didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book as I suspected but didn't know for sure or why. This is a great "escape" book that doesn't require a lot of concentration -- no tricky time lines or long list of characters to try to keep track of -- each character stands out memorably.

I intend to go on reading this series -- I would describe this mystery as engaging and reasonably well written.

...but not a five star book. If I were to judge this solely on its literary merit, it would be a two or three star review, but I understand that the goal of this story -- written by and starring a excessively smart cat -- is to provide a frivolous escape. Some might call it "Brain Candy". Anyway, I understand the need for some good ol' brain candy, so I gave it 4 stars despite what I consider to be poor writing.

The mystery is creative, and the characters are colorful and fun. There was a definite sense of danger that built towards the end of the story. In fact, the story became more gripping as it neared the end. Once the mystery is solved, the book wastes no time in wrapping up the tale, and ends an abrupt handful of pages later.

Like I said: fun, easy to read, but not something to write to your old English professors about.

One thing I should mention: I am a pet lover, and as such I think that the concept of a cat and dog who follow their owner around off leash in public is cute, if not more than a bit far-fetched. Those who are not animal lovers should probably stick to regular human-oriented mysteries, as this will probably sicken you with furry sweetness.

One other thing that I feel I should mention is that there was a surprising of profanity and some rather gruesome deaths... I don't know why but I thought this was going to be more "G-Rated". However, it is definitely targeted at an adult sense of humor. There wasn't anything terribly over-the-top, but it took me off guard. In fact, its one of the reasons I upped my review to 4 stars, because I like some occasional profanity, but it might not be for everyone.

A lot of fun to read and the animals are delightful. Once you get started it's hard to put this book down. Each book in this series offers a new and interesting plot even with the same characters. Well written and I'll read more of them.

This was a good first effort for a series, and it was good enough for me to try some more books about Harry, Mrs. Murphy, and Tucker. However, there were also a few problems with the book. With apologies to devoted fans of the series, the author made a few mistakes that diminished my chances of truly enjoying this book.

First, I didn't find a single character in the book that I actually liked. Some that I might have had a chance to, the author didn't explore deeply enough for me to have a chance to like. In fact, the only character that I kind of liked early on was one of the murder victims, so that didn't last too long. Harry, who we follow as the main character, wasn't engaging at all. Rita Mae Brown had her going through a divorce that Harry was very troubled about. While I might have felt great sympathy for a real person in her situation, for a fictional hero her story in this regard was more annoying than sympathetic.

Second, the mystery is not set up to give readers who like to figure out the clues and the mystery a real chance to do that. Once the plot gets to the critical point, the only real clue the author gives is too obvious. There are not enough false trails. While the author makes some slight attempts to throw suspicion around, her other suspects aren't really viable.

Third, as some other reviewers have mentioned, some bad language explodes out of the woodwork quite by surprise. I'm not a prude who disagrees with any profanity in a book, but the profanity here was ill conceived. This book could very well be read by much younger readers with only a few words changed. I would have recommended at one point that my granddaughter could read this book, and then all of a sudden here comes an f-bomb right out of the blue. Its almost like Rita at some point decided that the book wasn't mature enough and dropped in some half-hearted bad language. There was no purpose to it, and it really didn't fit the tone of the rest of the book.

Finally, the point behind the mystery is not well thought out. Physical objects involved are not in a place that the criminal would have had them. You'll understand why I say this if you have read the book, or do so after reading this review.

The animal aspect to the book is different from the norm and is likely the most entertaining part of the story, since the human characters don't give you much to latch onto. Strangely, the animals are the voice for several short political essays. Whether or not you agree with these viewpoints, they come across just fine from the animals' viewpoints. You do get the idea though, that they are the author's messages.

If you are determined to read this series, you won't feel that your time was wasted when you finish this book. However, Agatha Christie it is not.

Rita Mae Brown has a dedicated following, but this, the first in her Sneaky Pie mystery series definitely will add readers to her list. One of the highlights to this book is the in depth use of local subject matter. She has blessed the Deep South, the Mason-Dixon Line and Florida with her wit and lively writing and now she brings it all home to the beautiful Piedmont section of Virginia. This is a series of books that a person should start with the first (this one) and continue all the way through because Rita Mae's characters and stories are too good to miss.

Having read Rita Mae Brown's chapter in "I'd Kill for That," I decided to try one of her novels. This novel presents a cat's view of the world. When people end up murdered, the cat, aided by her erstwhile dog companion, sets off on its own sleuthing. They are somewhat the Holmes and Watson of the animal world, and have far better senses than the humans around them. There are communications problems with the humans.

It should be remembered that cats have claws, and dogs have teeth; something the villain seems to forget. The cat and dog join in as clues lead to the discovery of the guilty party and connections are revealed between the victims and the killer.

Along the way, you are entertained by various events in small town life. Much of it revolves around the Post Office where people pick up there mail, and where the postmistress reads the postcards.

The novel is recommended for teenage to adult readers. It would be of particular interest to anyone who shares living arrangements with a cat.

Originally, I had started reading these books out of order and decided that I would probably have a better understanding of who the characters were if I went back to the beginning. Well, apparently Ms Brown does a pretty good job in rehashing past storylines because I don't think that going back really changed my understanding of who anyone really is. So, with this series, you really can start anywhere and not be missing out on who all the main characters are.

Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town until its secrets explode into murder. Crozet, Virginia's thirty-something post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. So when Crozet's citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front and the message "Wish you were here" on the back. So with the help of her cat, Mrs. Murphy and Welsh Corgi, Tucker, Harry sets out to find who is behind the murders and what else is being covered up.

The only thing that throws me off of this series are the small sections where you can tell that Ms Brown is trying to make a political statement. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I'm here to read a cozy type mystery, not witness the authors political views.

Over all the series is pretty good, the reoccurring characters make the books enjoyable and the easy style that Ms Brown writes in allows the reader to come and go from the storyline - what I call a great "waiting for the kids" kind of book. Easy to pick up and put down without feeling that you have to go back a couple of chapter to remember where you were.

In Wish You Were Here, Rita Mae Brown (and Sneaky Pie) have begun a mystery series that is less mystery and more the story of a small town in Virginia. Although the characters here are not quite fully developed, one suspects we will get to know them very well as the stories develop.

Although Crozet may have become another murder capital of the country, the deaths are macabre enough to almost be amusing: the bodies are mangled in a cement mixer and under the wheels of a train. The mystery is a bit thin, and the solution a bit contrived, perhaps that's the way it would be when neighbors realize that a crime has occurred.

As the residents of Crozet, led by Ms. Harry Haristeen, muddle through the clues, their pets try to tell them what they've found with their sharper senses. A legendary treasure becomes a real, modern-day one, and friends and neighbors aren't at all what they seem.

Readers who like this book might also enjoy mysteries by Dick Francis (with an English flavor) and by Tony Hillerman (with an American Indian flavor). All are quick reads, each gives a glimpse into a world most of us are not familiar with, and the characters often matter more than the mystery.

If you're one of those people who sometimes looks at your pet and thinks, "What is he *really* thinking?" or "I wonder how much she *really* understands?," this delightful mystery and its sequels are right up your alley. Mrs. Murphy, a gray tiger cat, and Tee Tucker, a corgi bitch, live with Mary Minor Haristeen (aka "Harry"), postmistress of the little country corner of Crozet, Va. When local paving contractor Kelly Craycroft turns up in a dismembered condition in one of his own cement mixers, Harry and her pets (assisted by Pewter, the fat gray cat who lives in the market next to the post office) are drawn inexorably into the case through Harry's realization that the killer uses anonymous picture postcards to telegraph his intentions. The gimmick is that we readers (unlike the humans in the story) can understand what the animals are saying to one another--and they prove to have very keen perceptions regarding the murder and subsequent events. And when the killer's identity is at last revealed, it's Murphy and Tee whose teeth and claws save the day.

This is the first of an ongoing series of "Mrs. Murphy Mysteries" signed by Brown and her cat Sneaky Pie. Whether Sneaky actually had a paw in the writing is for the reader to decide, but certainly Brown has a keen insight into the animal mind: the behavior of the pets and their private reflections on the human condition ring very true. The human characters, too, are unforgettable: Harry's soon-to- be-ex-husband, ambivalent veterinarian Fair (Pharamond) Haristeen; Mrs. Miranda Hogendobber, widow of Harry's predecessor and a devout member of an obscure Christian denomination; Mim Sanburne, grande dame of the village; Rick Shaw, the chain-smoking sheriff who finds himself in water deeper than he expected, and his able second-in- command, Off. Cynthia Cooper. Flavored with witty humor and vivid portrayals of the Virginia countryside and customs, "Wish You Were Here" and its sequels are not to be missed by pet-lovers and mystery aficionados.

If you're actually looking for a murder mystery, better skip Rita Mae Brown's "Mrs. Murphy" series; although entertainingly written, it relies more upon charm than upon detection. Still, Brown carries these books off with a light touch and considerable good humor, and WISH YOU WERE HERE, the first in the series, is actually among her better efforts in the series.

The novel introduces us to Mary "Harry" Haristeen, postmistress of a small Virgina town--and to her cat, Mrs. Murphy, and dog, Tee Tucker. When their beloved "mother" decides to help local authorities in their effort to solve a string of grotesque murders, Mrs. Murphy and Tee Tucker decide to help out. Brown's animal characters are able to talk to each other in this series, and their comments are often entertaining. If you can accept the premise, and if you're not too picky about the details of the plot, you'll enjoy Brown's characters, tone of voice, and imagination.